WSL break begins: Everything fans need to know after Aston Villa horror show vs Tottenham
It has been a torrid start to 2026 for Aston Villa Women.
Following a 2-1 win against Brighton upon the return from the winter break, Natalia Arroyo’s side have lost five consecutive matches – starting with a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, and ending with a 7-3 loss to Tottenham.
The Women’s Super League has now been put on pause until 15 March, due to a packed schedule for other sides and the upcoming international break.
The feeling at Villa Park is that the break has come at the exact right time for Aston Villa, who sit ninth in the WSL standings.
With this in mind, Aston Villa News takes a look at everything that supporters should know ahead of the pause, which will provide a real moment of reflection for Arroyo’s side.
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Aston Villa will benefit from full WSL break
The break has come at the right time for Villa, who were dismantled 7-3 by Tottenham at Villa Park on Sunday, 15 February.
The break itself is due to fixture congestion across multiple competitions. Since the return from the winter break in January, clubs have navigated four WSL rounds alongside FA Cup ties, League Cup semi-finals and the return of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Villa in particular will be big beneficiaries of the break, with the club not juggling European commitments, while their FA Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal means that there will be a free weekend coming up, while others compete for a quarter-final spot.
Early March is then reserved for World Cup qualifiers, the Asian Cup and other international fixtures, before Villa return to action on 15 March, as they welcome runaway league leaders Manchester City to Villa Park.
Natalia Arroyo reacts after Aston Villa horror show vs Tottenham
Villa’s dismal start to 2026 continued in their most recent clash against Tottenham, as Martin Ho’s visitors thrashed Arroyo’s side 7-3 at Villa Park.
A brace from Kirsty Hanson and a deflected strike from Oriane Jean-Francois proved far from enough against a ruthless Spurs side, who condemned Villa to their fourth league defeat in a row.
Facing questions about her position at the helm, Arroyo told the Express & Star: “It’s not something I can answer.
“I will give all my energy, all my knowledge and all the work I can bring to the club, like I have from day one.”
The Spaniard took over in the Midlands 13 months ago and guided Villa to a sixth-place finish last term. Now, with 16 points from 16 matches, Villa require nine points from their remaining six outings to level last season’s tally.
“I feel supported by the club, but I will be judged by the results, and the results are not talking nicely about my work,” added Arroyo.
Speaking on the performance itself against Spurs, Arroyo said: “I’m proud of some of the positives, the ability to score three goals against Tottenham says a lot. I think we created some good chances.
“We cannot just let teams score almost all of the chances we can. So let’s see if we can close our house, defend better, and from there we can build,” concluded the Spaniard.
After Manchester City come to Villa Park, they travel to both Leicester and Chelsea within the space of a week as they look to rescue their faltering form.
Head to Football Insider for all the latest updates and insight into what is going on at Aston Villa.